New Delhi, Feb 19 : Former Indian cricket captain Mohammad Azharuddin formally joined the Congress party on Thursday.

Congress leader Veerappa Moily confirmed the cricketer's membership, saying, "Azharuddin had approached me a few days ago with a desire to join the party. The decision to offer him a membership was taken after holding a discussion with party president Sonia Gandhi."

Moily, however, did not confirm whether he would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The leader told that the cricketer's controversial past was not a problem for the party.

"There are no criminal cases lodged against him anywhere and it was Azharuddin who filed a case against Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). I know him personally for the last 25 years and he is a nice man. He has been the most successful Indian captain and has yet not been proven guilty by a court of law," Moily said.

Azharuddin was one of India's greatest ever batsmen, having scored more than 15,500 runs in Tests and one-day matches during a 15-year international career.

Azharuddin was banned from the sport for his alleged involvement in match fixing in 2000. (ANI)